Generally, a refrigerator utilizes cold air generated by a freezing cycle configured of a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve and an evaporator and lowers a temperature therein to freeze or refrigerate foods. A refrigerator typically includes a freezer compartment in which food or beverages are preserved in a frozen state and a refrigerator compartment in which food or beverages are preserved at a low temperature.
Refrigerators are commonly classified into a top-mount type having a freezer compartment mounted on top of a refrigerator compartment, a bottom-freezer type having a freezer compartment mounted below a refrigerator compartment, and a side-by-side type having freezer and refrigerator compartments arranged side-by-side. A door is typically provided in each of the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment, and a user may access the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment through each door.
In addition to refrigerators in which a freezer compartment and a refrigerator compartment are separately compartmentalized from each other, some refrigerators include a freezer compartment and refrigerator compartment that may be opened or closed by a single door. The latter type of refrigerator is typically a small-scaled refrigerator that generally includes a freezer compartment arranged at a certain space inside the refrigerator compartment.
In addition, a French type refrigerator is a type of top-mount refrigerator having a refrigerator compartment arranged on top of the freezer compartment and opened or closed by French-style double-sided doors. A freezer compartment of a French-type refrigerator may also be opened or closed by the French-style double-sided doors.
Some refrigerators provide various functions in addition to storing food in a refrigerated or frozen state. For example, a dispenser on a door of a refrigerator can supply purified water and ice. In addition, a display on a front surface of the door can display various states of the refrigerator and allow a user to manage the refrigerator.
In addition, some refrigerators include multiple separate storage compartments. For example, some refrigerators include a sub door that opens or closes a sub-storage compartment provided in a main door. The sub-storage compartment is a partial area of a main storage compartment and is separately compartmentalized from the main storage compartment by at least a partial compartment wall. Such refrigerators are often referred to as door-in-door (DID) refrigerators, also referred to as double-door refrigerators. An advantage of such DID refrigerators is that opening the sub-door alone maintains a closed state of the main storage compartment, thus mitigating the escape of cool air from inside the main storage compartment and thereby achieving an energy saving effect.
As an example, the sub-storage compartment may be configured to store frequently accessed items, such as beverages, whereby a user may access the sub-storage compartment by opening the sub-door without opening the main door.
In addition to refrigerators, other types of home appliances are also configured with DID or double-door structures, in which a second door can be opened independently from a first door and rotates relative to the first door.